Machine for sawing out twisted stair-railings



(No Mod eL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.,

. J. E. BROWN.

- MACHINE PORSAWING OUT TWISTED STAIR RAILINGS. No. 368,993. Patented Aug. 30,1887

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' 2 Sheets- 811a 2. J; BpBROWN. MACHINE PUB. SAWING OUT TWISTED STAIR RAILINGS. No. 368,993.

Patented Aug. 30, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrcs.

JAMES E. BROWN, OF XENIA, OHIO.

MACHINE FOR SAWING OUT TWISTED STAlR-RAILINGSL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 368,993, dated August 30, 1887.

Application filed June 28, 1886.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES E. BROWN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Xenia, in the county of'Greene and State of Ohio, have invented certain Improvements in Machines for Sawing out Twisted Stair-Railings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

My present invention consists in several improvements on stair-rail-sawing machines operating generally on the plan set forth in Letters Patent No. 155, 854, granted to me on the 13th day of October, 1874. These improvements are defined in the following description.

All of the parts constituting the specific invention for sawing out twisted stair-railings as now perfected by me are or may be organized and arranged so that they may be applied as removable attachments to a bandsaw machine of ordinary construction, so that economy may be subservcd in the purchase of the machine when the purchaser has orwants a separate band-saw machine; but'it is to be understood that the whole machine may be made as a unitary machine for this purpose only.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side view'of a complete machine adapted to sawing out twisted'stair-railings in form and provided with my improvements; Fig. 2, a top view of the table of the machine provided with the improved attachment for sawing rail-pieces to width and the required radiusof curve; Fig. 3, a side view of the two holders which hold the rail-pieces in position for being sawed to radius and curve,one-of the rail-pieces being indicated in place by dotted lines; Fig.4, a side View of the adjustable upper end holder, the View being at right angles to the view in Fig. 3; Fig. 5, a side view of part of the machine at right angles to the view in Fig. 1, showing an adjustable saw-guide to be used in connection with the rail-sawing part proper; Fi 6,a top view of the bed or carrier for sawing the rail-pieces to thickness; Fig. 7, an under side View of the same; Fig. 8, an under side view of the traveling rest used with the said bed or carrier; Fig. 9, a top view of the bed with the traveling rest in position thereon; Fig. 10, a cross-section of the same;

Serial No. 206.414. (No model.)

Fig. 11, a rear view of the same; Fig. 12,a top and side view of the adjustable socketslide on which the beds or carriers are pivoted. 5

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all of the figures.

I have represented in the drawings a bandsaw machine with myimprovements for stairrail sawing applied as attachments thereto in accordance with what I have above stated. On the other hand, the machine may be considered a maehineforsawing out twisted stairrailing and adapted likewise as an ordinary band sawing-machine for general work. A 6

stand,A, of any ordinary or suitableconstruction,has one or more band-saws,B,mounted on pulleys or wheels 0 O for driving the same. I have shown a single band-saw, which,however,

=will saw only one side or edge of the railpieces at a time. I do not confine myself to a single bandsaw or to band-saws for the purpose. I may use reciprocating scrollsaws, as set forth in my previous Letters Patent above cited.

' In the present invention the table D is not made to turn for feeding the pieces to the saw; but, instead, I mount thereon a separatelymovable bed or carrier, E, on which the pieces are set, this bed or carrier having a turning movement around a pivot, a, upon the table D. I provide, however, for a limited sliding movement of the table forward and backward, for the purpose of sawing any straight portion of the rail-piece which is being mainly sawed 3 to a twisted form, since some pieces are required to have a portion thereof straight, where curved and straight portions of the stair-rails unite. It will thus be seen that while theturning of the bed or carrier on its 0 pivot feeds the piece in a curve or are of a cir .ele the moving of the table from front to back feeds the piece in a straight line.

In order to slide the table, as above set forth,

it has a part, b, Fig. 1, sliding in a way, 0, of

having the table-slide forthis purpose, the bed or carrier E may have a similar sliding movement on the bed forward and backward. The bed or carrier E has alateral adjustmentupon the table from left to right, and vice versa, for determining the radius of each circle in which the edges of the rail-pieces are to be sawed, the distance of the pivot a of the bed or carrier from the saw B determining each radius. For the purpose of this adjustment, a socket-slide, G, Figs. 1 and 12, is mounted in the table under the bed or carrier. A hand-screw, H, moves the slide by turning in a nut, f, on the outer end of the slide, and having a circular groove in its shaft turning in a collar, I/, on the outer end of thetable. The socket h, Fig. 12, receives the lower end of the pivot a of the bed or carrier.

Each rail piece (indicated by the dotted lines at m in the drawings) is held in position by means of two standards or holders, H I, which are improved in construction over the holding standards described in my abovenamed Letters Patent. The lower holder, H, for holding the lower end of each rail-piece, is mounted on the holder-carrier E, and is adjustable in a slot, 1, in said table, whereby the pieces are adjusted to the proper distance from the pivot a of the said bed or carrier, according to the radius to which the rail is to be sawed. Aset-screw, j, secures the holder in the required position in aslot. This holder is not, or is not required to be, adjustable in height above the bed or carrier. The other holder, 1, for holding the upper end of each rail-piece, is also mounted on the bed or carrier E, and adjustable in a slot, It", therein, substantially at right angles to the other slot, 2', of thelowerholder,and heldadjustedin the slotby aset-screw,l. Preferablythisslot 7c is adjustable to different angles in relation to the slot i by being formed in a separate plate or piece, J, pivoted around the pivot center a of the whole bed, and having one or more concentric slotted arms, m a, with set-screws, o 0, in their respective slots, as shown in Fig. 2. This support is adjustable in height for the purpose of varying the inclination of the stair-rail. As shown, the standard is made in two parts, pg, held together by a set-screw, 2', which enters different holes in one or both of the parts, or a long slot in one of the parts.

The main feature of improvement in the two holders consists in their attaching-blocks, s s,

which are of semi-cylindrical form and turn in.

semi-cylindrical sockets i t. The ends of the rail-pieces are abutted against the flat sides of these blocks and secured thereto by screws u u, screwed into the ends of the pieces. \Vith this construction of semi-cylindrical block and socket the turning movement of the blocks in the sockets in varying the inclination of the rail-pieces is upon axes which coincide with the middle lines of the ends of the blocks, so that any degree of variation of inclination does not in the least disarrange the stair-rail curve or cause any error whatever in its form, all the pieces fitting together truly and perfectly. The attaching-blocks s s are held in place in their sockets not only by the attaching-screws u u,moving in slots 1; of the sockets, but by additional headed screws or bolts, to w, inserted into the blocks and moving in guide-slots 3 y in the sockets, the heads of the screws or bolts also holding the blocks closely in their sockets.

I employ a saw-guide, K, which is made adjustable in height, so that it may be brought close down to the rail-pieces being sawed in all parts of their inclined heights, in order that the saw may be held equally to the work throughout. The means shown for this adjustment is the following: The guide has a stem, 2, running in guide-loops a a on the upper arm or standard of the main frame, and is provided with a rack, as shown, into which gears a cog-wheel, L, suitably mounted on the frame and provided with a crank, b. By turning the cog-wheel the guide is run up or down at will, and may be held in position by friction or any other convenient means.

For sawing the rail-pieces to thickness I have the following improved device: A bed or carrier, M, of special construction, is employed, instead of the bed or carrier E, on which the pieces are placed forsawing to width and inclination, as above described, and takes its place on the table D of the machine. It is pivoted on the table to turn in the same way, as the pieces are fed to the same saw or saws, B; and, since in this case it is desired to have the bed or carrier turn with the least friction, there are preferably anti-friction rollers 0 c, the axes of which are radial to the circle on which the bed turns on the under side of the said bed or carrier to roll on the table D. Upon this bed or carrier is placed a traveling rest, N, which supports the stair-rail pieces while they are being fed to the saw. This traveling rest is to run lengthwise upon the bed or carrier M, one side of the rest-frame extending downward and running in a guide-groove, d, in the upper side of the said bed or carrier. To allow the longitudinal traveling movement of the traveling rest with the least practicable friction or resistance, it moves on rolls either mounted on the bed or carrier or on the rest itself, or both. I have shown the front side of the traveling rest as moving on rollers c c, situated in or on the bottom of the guidegrooved of the bed or carrier, and the rear side of the rest as having rollersff, Fig. 8, on or in its under side; also, the front downward projection or flange, g, of the rest is provided with anti-friction side rollers, 71. h, to run against the side of the groove d of the bed or carrier. The traveling rest has mounted in its frame or body two parallel supportingrollers, O 0, extending the greater part of the length of the frame of the rest. These rollers are provided with small points or pointed teeth j j arranged, preferably, in rows or circles on the rollers and projecting slightly from the surface of the rollers. Any suitable construction and arrangement of these teeth or IIO points may be employed. The office of these 1 teeth or points is to prevent the rail-pieces from slipping on the rollers on which they rest while they are being fed to the saw, and yet allow the rollers to freely revolve as fast as necessary under the said rail-pieces, so as not to interfere with the lateral feed movement thereon. In applying the rail-pieces to this traveling rest the said rest is broughtto the inner end of the bed or carrier M, and one end of the rail-piece is placed transversely with its convex edge on the front roller and one side to the saw B, and in position to have the saw begin to act thereon. Then, as the saw cuts into the piece, the latter is moved across the rest till the end rests on the rear roller also, and then the piece is held firmly resting on both rollers, which turn gradually as the piece is shoved across the same in sawing. As the saw cuts into the piece and the piece is curved around to bring its curved surface constantly tangent to the saw, it gradually recedes upon the rollers toward the other ends thereof, and thus while the piece is held on the traveling rest the latter travels forward, and the whole forward movement of the rest, as well as its turning movement with the bed or carrier on which its travels, is free and with little resistance. The pieces are-in this way perfectly guided to the saw. There is a circular cut, 70, in the bed or carrier M, partially around its pivot, to .admit the saw and allow the bed to turn around the saw as far as necessary. There are two sockets in the table, one on an adjusting slide movement, a socket-slide,

G, mounted on the said table and having an adjustment at right angles to the adjustment of the table, and the bed or carrier E, pivoted on the socket-slide and adapted to turn thereon during the sawing of the rails, substantially as herein specified.

2. The rail-holders H I, respectively, provided with semi-cylindrical holding-blocks s s,

adjustable in sockets t t of like form, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified. 3. The combination of the pivoted bed or carrier M, the traveling rest N on the said bed or carrier, and the finelytoothed rollers O O, mounted on the said traveling rest, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified. 4s. The combination of the table, the pivoted bed or carrier M, the traveling rest N on the bed or carrier, the toothed rollers O 0 on the said rest, and the saw B, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

JAMES E. BROWN. l/Vitnesses:

F. P. CUNNINGHAM, J. M. MILBURN. 

